Young People More Supportive of Gay Marriages

While the majority of Americans oppose legalizing same-sex marriage, people younger than 30 have consistently been more supportive of it than their elders.

For instance, a poll taken for the National Annenberg Election Survey at the University of Pennsylvania showed that just over half of people ages 18 to 29 would oppose a state law allowing lesbians and gay men to marry a same-sex partner. That compares with 61 percent of 30 to 44-year-olds, two-thirds of 45 to 64-year-olds and 81 percent of those 65 and older.

Experts say the difference in attitudes can largely be tracked to young people's exposure to homosexuality in everyday life. They grew up with gay activists protesting to get AIDS patients access to the latest drugs and as government officials debated the issue of "don't ask, don't tell" in the military.

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